My Kingdom Building Done Right!

"Here is my gift for you." Leone gently rubbed the neck of the Blood-Crest Raptor. "Don’t worry. It won’t hurt you, and it will be very loyal to you. This Raptor will also protect you to the best of its abilities. I haven’t given it a name yet, so you’ll have to name it yourself."

The Blood-Crest Raptor lowered its head to look at its new Master. At first, Vlad felt intimidated by the Raptor’s very fierce looks.

Thankfully, with Leone’s encouragement, the teenage boy eventually reached out to touch its face, with the Raptor not making any move to bite him.

"H-He seems nice," Vlad muttered as he grew a bit bolder, touching the Raptor that now belonged to him.

The Raptor grinned, showing its fiendish teeth that looked like it was trying to scare the teenage boy. However, the Raptor had underestimated Vlad’s unwavering belief toward his idol, Leone.

Since Leone stated that the Raptor would not hurt him and would instead protect him with its life, there was no longer any need for him to worry.

"I think I’ll name you Rappy. It’s a combination of the word Raptor and happy," Vlad said. "How do you like your name?"

Rappy nodded its head. It did like its name. After that short introduction, Vlad finally made a new friend. For this reason, he was all smiles when he mounted the Raptor’s back.

Leone also found Vlad’s naming sense quite unique. But since the Raptor liked the name, he decided to just go along with it.

Nevertheless, this gesture of his caught the attention of the other representatives.

"Sir Leone, this is a marvelous parting gift," Marcus said with a smile. "Do I also get a parting gift from you?"

The other representatives of the high-ranking tribes decided to take this as an opportunity to get a freebie before returning back home.

"O-Of course," Leone replied. "Needless to say, I prepared a parting gift for everyone. Please wait here. I’ll be right back."

After that, Leone returned inside the fortress to "get" the parting gifts for Marcus and the other representatives. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

When he returned, there were three Raptors by his side. Two of them were Blood-Crest Raptors, while the third one had golden scales that shone faintly under the light.

Leone handed the two Blood-Crest Raptors to Marcus and the representative of the Bonegnash Tribe, Bjorn.

As for the golden Raptor, which had the name Sun-Scaled Raptor, he gave it to the representative of the Sandreaver Tribe, Kurt.

"The name of this Raptor is the Sun-Scaled Raptor," Leone stated. "It is perfect for traveling in the desert, and it could travel for days without drinking water. It’s also very resistant to desert heat and can sprint for miles even when running on dunes."

"Oh! This is indeed a wonderful parting gift, Sir Leone." Kurt was ecstatic to receive the Raptor. Indeed, traveling in the desert was not an easy task.

They did have camels for long journeys. But a monster that could sprint across the desert? They had been futilely looking for them for a very long time.

"Do you have more of these Sun-Scaled Raptors, Sir Leone?" Kurt asked. "Just name your price, and we will meet it without fail!"

"I’m sorry, but this is the only Sun-Scaled Raptor that we have right now," Leone replied. "However, we will do our best to procure a few more of them. How about you return after two months? As for the price... I’m very interested in Sand Steel."

"I see." Kurt crossed his arms over his chest. "That is indeed a trade worthy of such a fine beast."

Sand Steel was metal exclusively tempered by the blacksmiths of the Sandreaver Tribe. Their process imbued special magical properties into these steel ingots, which were very useful when enchanting the weapons with flames.

This feature earned the Sandreaver Tribe’s warriors the moniker Flame Warriors. Whenever they went to battle, their weapons would shine with a reddish glow, as if they were covered in flames.

Some even said that the weapons the Sand Reapers used in battle could melt the weapons of their enemies with a single strike.

The Sand Reapers were the Royal Guards that protected the Chieftain of the Sandreaver Tribe. All of them were treated in high regard.

Of course, the weapons of the warriors of the Sandreaver Tribe were also made from Sand Steel.

The other tribes had tried to purchase their Sand-Steel Weapons but to no avail.

Then again, even if they could purchase the Sand Steel Ingots without knowing the proper method to temper it, forging weapons using those ingots would just turn them into regular steel weapons.

"I won’t make any promises." Kurt scratched his head. "However, I’m sure that once my Chieftain sees this Raptor, the chances of him agreeing to the trade will be high. By the way, how many Sun-Scaled Raptors can you procure within two months?"

"Let’s see..." Leone pondered for a bit. He still had a lot of Uncommon Mount Tickets he could use for this trade, but he planned to give them to his own people as well.

However, forming good ties with the Sandreaver Tribe was also a good thing.

According to Gundar, this tribe was the most neutral faction among the high-ranking tribes due to their unique location in the desert.

Aside from that, he was very curious about the Sand Steel.

With Daedalus by his side, he was certain that even without the special crafting method of the Sandreaver Tribe, they would be able to create these blazing weapons that might even surpass the original!

"I will try to secure a dozen of them," Leone replied after a few minutes. "But keep in mind that they are extremely rare and hard to catch, so I can’t get you any more than that."

"How about we help you catch them then?" Kurt asked, smiling like a merchant. "We are willing to collaborate with you on this project."

"I’m sorry, but that is a trade secret." Leone didn’t hesitate to reject the representative’s offer.

The tribes in the Borderlands were quite curious as to where the Aslan Tribe had been getting their Raptors. After all, these monsters were not commonly found in the Borderlands.

Understanding everyone had their own secrets, Kurt decided to stop prying and simply agreed to Leone’s condition.

"We’ll return in two months." Kurt promised and reached out his hand for a handshake. "I hope your tribe will still be here by then."

Frankly, Kurt thought of Leone as a good chieftain and the Aslan Tribe a good tribe. However, they had now offended the Darkmane Tribe, which had been known to hold grudges.

As such, he wasn’t certain if Leone’s tribe would still be around after two months. It was highly likely for the Darkmane Tribe to attack them in order to wipe the stain their loss had cost to their reputation.

Of course, Leone understood what Kurt meant, so he replied in kind.

"We’ll be here," Leone said as he shook Kurt’s hand. "I’ll see you in two months."

Kurt nodded and patted Leone’s shoulder before climbing the back of the Sun-Scaled Raptor.

The Raptor didn’t try to shake off its new owner from its back, which pleased Kurt very much.

Marcus and Bjorn also mounted their Raptors, and they were very surprised at how well behaved these monsters were.

They were ecstatic about receiving a freebie from the Chieftain of the Aslan Tribe.

However, they were not aware that this freebie came with strings attached.

They had no idea that the mounts they got for free were actually spies that they happily invited to their own camps!

Of course, this was just a happy coincidence. Leone hadn’t planned this beforehand. But since the opportunity had presented itself, Leone would now gain more information about the elusive high-ranking tribes, which all held real power within the Borderlands.